Burkina Faso government calls on ECOWAS to respect choices of the people
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - The transitional government of Burkina Faso Tuesday called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to respect the choice of the people of Burkina Faso in finding solutions to the security crisis that the country has been experiencing since 2015.
Responding to an ECOWAS communiqué dated 30 December 2023, in which the sub-regional institution reiterated its concern at the "deterioration of the security situation in the country", the government called for "respect for the choices made by the authorities and people of Burkina Faso, based on the solid will to find endogenous solutions to restore territorial integrity".
At this crucial turning point in the history of Burkina Faso, the government has made it clear that its priorities remain focused on the enormous security and humanitarian challenges, and would be grateful if the ECOWAS Commission would support its efforts.
The transitional government "expresses its astonishment and incomprehension at such a biased reading of developments in the security situation and the heroic struggle of our people for their independence and sovereignty".
It explained that while Burkina Faso's fighting forces are reaping "unquestionable victories" in the operations to reconquer the national territory, while the Defence and Security Forces and the Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland are relentlessly tracking down the hordes of terrorists on the run, the community organization is apparently wearing blinkers that obscure its view of the facts.
The government added that in its press release, ECOWAS accused the transitional authorities of abusing the freedom of expression, referring to "the arrest and detention of political figures and members of civil society by the transitional authorities" and "an illegal and arbitrary requisition procedure designed to suppress all freedom of expression in the country".
The government "deplores such an unfounded, inconsistent and incongruous assessment, and reminds the ECOWAS Commission that it is in all responsibility that Burkina Faso, as part of its strategy to combat terrorism, has equipped itself with a legal mechanism relating to "general mobilization" and "warnings" to facilitate the securing of the territory.
The government "deplores the silence of the Community organization on the major challenges of the fight against terrorism in our area".
"This is particularly true of ransom payments, which contribute to the financing of terrorism. Similarly, the organization is strangely silent despite the massacres and murders perpetrated against ECOWAS citizens by bloodthirsty barbarians.
"It has the same complacent attitude towards countries that protect, supply and facilitate the movements of terrorists," it added.
-0- PANA TNDD/IS/BBA/RA 2Jan2023
